The summit, held Nov. 6 and 7, focused on the danger of climate change and ways youth can address it.

Club members learned about global warming and explored how to mobilize their school and communities to take action through energy reduction campaigns, climate action projects and other efforts.

“I want to educate people about what’s really going on, the impacts of what they’re doing, and encourage them to take action,” said Enviro Club member Danielle Storey, who attended the event along with peers Prutha Patel, Megan McKenna, Meiling Segal and Lukas Redmond.

The conference offered a variety of workshops on climate change. Students learned the full extent of the problem from Dr. Curt Stager, a biologist at Paul Smith’s College. Stager discussed its impact on the environment, and the science behind it. In other workshops, students discussed the dangers of plastic waste and how to upcycle it, and discovered ways to work with municipalities to launch environmental initiatives. They also learned how to test and reduce energy consumption in their school using Energy Efficient Action Plans.

Club members returned from the conference with new ideas on how to make BCI greener. Members hope to start small with a renewed recycling effort at the school, starting with paper. They are also seeking a vegetable garden on BCI grounds to teach students the value of growing their own food, or buying produce locally to reduce their carbon footprint.

The members that attended the Adirondack summit are also helping the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Climate Action Team organize a similar event for area high school students in April 2020.

“This is something that will affect our future and that of our children,” said Storey of climate change. “We must make a change now and make it concrete.”